Game apparatus.



. 'PATENTED MAR.10 A. A. W'ALRATH. .GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1907.

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' PATENTED MAR.10, 1908.

No. 881,8 35.- I

' A. A. WALR'ATH.

- GAME AEPARATUSQ APPLIOATIO I I PILED MAR. 12. 1907.

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NORRIS PE ALTON A. WALRATH, OF FORT PLAIN, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Application filed March 12, 1907. Serial No. 362,020.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALTON A. WALRATH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Fort Plain, in the county of Montgomery and Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in GameApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game apparatus, and one of the principalobjects of the same is to provide a game which will simulate a race,either a horse race, automobile race or other similar contest of speedin which the skill and activity of the contestants are called intoaction to determine the winner.

Another object is to provide a game representing a horse race in whichtwo or more horses are mounted to traverse a circular track, and meansfor moving said horses around the track, each horse being independentlyactuated by one of the players.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view and partial section of a game apparatus madein accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view illustratingthe actuating wheel and the means for operating the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional View of the game board. Fig. 4 is a detail sectionshowlng the upright central standard, and the means for attaching thesup orting arms thereto. Fig. 5 is a detailview s owing the manner ofmounting the actuating keys.

Referringto the drawing for a more particular description of myinvention, the numeral 1 designates a platform to which is connected aring 2 and an outer ring 3, the platform and said rings being connectedby arches 4 provided with guideways 5. Between the platform 1 and therings circular tracks or ways 6, 7 are provided for the movement of thehorses, automobiles or other speed contestants. The platform and ringsare supported upon crossed bars 8, 9, said crosse bars being securedtogether in the center and having suitable supporting posts 10 at theirouter ends upon which the outer ring 3 is secured. A central verticalstandard 1 1 is mounted in a foot piece 12 supported upon the crossedbars 8 and 9, said standard being mounted to rotate in the foot piece 12and having secured rigidly thereto a crown gearwheel 1 3. An 0 cratingshaft 14 carrying a large ratchet whee 15is journaled in an upright orhanger 16, and in one of the posts 10 a lever 17 pivoted at 18 isprovided with a key or finger piece 19 at its outer end. The lever 17provided with a slot 21 through which a reduced portion of the lever 17passes. On the lever 17 is a pawl 22 adapted to engage the teeth of thewheel 15 in its downward movement and a spring 23 connected to the lever17 and supported upon a pin 24 connected to a base piece 25 serves toreturn the lever 17 to its normal upper position after it has beendepressed by the finger of the operator actuating the key 19. A detent26 secured to the bar 8 serves to prevent the retrograde movement of thewheel 15.

Connected to the upper end of the standard 1 1 is an arm 27 carrying aweight 28 at one end and being bent upward at 29 to extend through oneof the circular ways 6 or 7 supports at its upper end a figurerepresenting a orse 30, or other speed contestant. Mounted loosely u onthe standard 11 is a sleeve 31 sustaine in its position by means of apin '32 and secured to the sleeve 31 is a gear wheel 33 and also securedto said sleeve is an arm 34 provided with a weight 35 and said armhaving a vertical member 36 extending through the slot or-way 6 andhaving attached to its upper end the 37 or other suitable figure. Tooperate the arm 34 and to move the horse 37 around in the way 6, theactuating mechanism is precisely like that already described foractuating the figure 30. A shaft 38 is mounted to rotate in an upright39 and in one of the posts 10. The shaft 38 carries a wheel 40 which isactuated by means of a lever 41, and a pawl 42 similar in all respectsto the pawl 22, a spring 43 being utilized to return the lever 41 to itsoriginal osition. On the shaft 38 is a pinion 44, an on the shaft 14 isa pinion 45. The pinion 45 engages the wheel 13' to rotate the standard1 and the arm 27, while the pinion 44 engages the wheel 33 and rotatesthe sleeve 31 and with it the arm 34 to carry the figure 37 around theway or circular track. The lever 41 is actuated by means of a key 46similar to the key 19.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that two, three or more racingelements or speed contestants represented as horses or automobiles maybe mounted on arms similar to those already described, and be actuatedby similar means, if the game is to be made for more than two players.

extends through a guide piece 20 figure of a horse The operation of myinvention may be briefly described as follows: The two figures and 37are mounted and started from the same place, the two players uponopposite sides of the board move the keys 19 and 46 downward with thefinger, and the more rapidly this movement is made, the faster thefigures will move around the ways 6 and 7.

My invention is of simple construction, can be 'made at slight cost,will be found very amusing and entertaining, and at the same time willcall forth considerable skill on the part of the operatorsorcontestants. The game board can be made almost entirely of metal ifdesired, or of other suitablev materials.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

A game board comprising a circular platform, concentric rings encirclingsaid platform and spaced therefrom'by arches provided with'guideways,the spaces forming racewaysor tracks, a frame upon which the outer ringis sup orted, a central vertically disposed standard mounted to rotatein the frame, a counter-balanced arm rigidly connected to said standardand having an upwardly extending arm which passes through one of thespaces or tracks, a sleeve loosely mounted upon said standard, acounter-balanced arm rigidly connected to said sleeve and provided withan upwardly extending arm carrying a racing element, a gear wheelrigidly connected to said sleeve, a shaft mounted in the frame andprovided with a pinion to engage said gear wheel, a ratchet wheelsecured to said shaft, a gear wheel rigidly mounted on said standard, ashaft provided with a pinion to engage said gear wheel, a ratchet wheelon said shaft, pivoted levers each having a finger key at its outer end,a downwardly inclined pawl secured to each lever, said pawl engagingsaid ratchet wheel, a spring connected to each lever and supported uponthe frame for returning said lever to its uppermost position, anddetents I :7

for preventing retrograde movement of said ratchet wheels.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALTON A. VVALRATH.

Witnesses:

Josnrn L. Moonn, LEONARD B. Moonn

